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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25206760">The Chase</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/jellybeanforest/pseuds/jellybeanforest'>jellybeanforest</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Cap-Ironman Bingo, Comedy, Coworkers to friends, Fanwork Like It's 2012, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Happy Ending, Identity Porn, M/M, On the Run, Paparazzi, Past Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Pre-Slash, Rated for swearing, Steve Rogers Is a Good Bro, Tony Stark is on the rebound, media frenzy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 10:42:35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,498</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25206760</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/jellybeanforest/pseuds/jellybeanforest</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After the Chitauri invasion, Tony and Pepper break up. Steve tries to be a good teammate and friend by taking him out for a night on the town to distract him from his sorrows. Unfortunately, paparazzi take several covert snaps of the freshly-single billionaire and his new man, causing the media to hound the couple when news of their ‘relationship’ breaks out. This culminates in a high-speed foot chase through New York City.</p><p>Reporters have no idea who he is, but Tony Stark’s newest boy toy sure is fast.</p><p>For the Cap-IronMan Bingo 2020 Round 1 – On the Run. Based on a Fanwork Like It’s 2012 Prompt.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Steve Rogers/Tony Stark</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>48</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>343</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Captain America/Iron Man Bingo, Captain America/Iron Man Fanwork Like it's 2012 Fest</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Chase</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>The prompt was “Tabloid Covers.”</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Three weeks of living in the Avengers Tower after Stark’s break-up with Pepper, and Natasha has had enough. “We have to do something. The situation is untenable,” she tells the others gathered around the table in the breakfast nook.</p><p>Clint bums an apple from the fruit basket. “I don’t know, Nat. The guy is housing you all rent-free. Murdering him just because he brings down the vibe of the whole place… It seems a little rude, don’t you think?”</p><p>“I’m not talking about murdering him.”</p><p>“Oh, I got you,” he says, his face alighting with understanding before quickly declaring, “Not it.” He then jostles Banner beside him.</p><p>“Not it,” Banner adds reflexively before asking, “What am I not doing again?”</p><p>“Banging Stark.”</p><p>“Oh, then definitely not it.”</p><p>With the two of them out of the running, Clint states the obvious. “Thor’s still in Asgard, so I guess it’s either you or Steve who has to… you know, take one for the team.”</p><p>Steve frowns, scrunching his brow. “Why do any of us have to sleep with Stark?” Stark may be a lot of things, but Steve is pretty sure the man did not require sexual favors from any of them in exchange for shelter.</p><p>Nat rolls her eyes. “We don’t. Clint’s just being an ass.”</p><p>“Then what was your suggestion?” He inquires, peeling his apple. “If we can’t kill him and none of us are willing to fuck him happy, then what are we even discussing here?”</p><p>“I was merely suggesting that one of us takes him out,” Nat says. Clint looks like he is about to voice another ridiculous assumption yet again, so she clarifies, “As a friend.”</p><p>They all look over at their listless teammate and benefactor, who is presently lying on his stomach upon the couch in the sunken living room, mindlessly watching the Home Shopping Network. He hasn’t moved for a while nor has he showered in days. The stench of unwashed genius wafts over to them, making Steve’s sensitive nose crinkle. If the man didn’t periodically call out to J.A.R.V.I.S. to place the odd order now and again, they might even think him dead.</p><p>“…Still not it.”</p><p>“Jesus, Clint,” Steve turns back to quietly admonish him. “Have a little sympathy, won’t you? Stark is just going through a rough patch, but it’s temporary. He’ll bounce back.”</p><p>Stark’s voice, thin and reedy, soft with dejected misery, calls out, “J., the titanium cheese knife set.”</p><p>“As you wish, sir,” the AI replies.</p><p>Clint balks at Steve’s assertion. “If it’s not that bad, why don’t you put your money where your mouth is and take him out?”</p><p>“Maybe I will.”</p><p>Stark modifies his order. “Make it two, J.”</p><p>“Right away, sir.”</p><p>Steve sighs before getting up, squaring his shoulders and taking large strides towards the couch.</p><p>“Hey Stark.”</p><p>Stark grunts.</p><p>It is likely the only greeting Steve can realistically expect to receive from him, so he soldiers on. “What are you watching?”</p><p>Stark sighs but doesn’t move from his prostrate position. “It’s called retail therapy, Cap,” he replies, his tone flat. “Foreign concept for someone who grew up when bread lines were a thing, I’m sure, but it’s simple, really. You buy something, and it makes you feel alive for approximately 2.7 seconds before you have to buy something else to feel even a fraction of that high you felt the first time. You know, diminishing returns and all that. Rinse and repeat.”</p><p>“Is it working?”</p><p>“J., the pasta pot with the strainer?” Tony addresses his AI in lieu of a reply. “In chrome.”</p><p>This is worse than Steve thought; Stark is a disaster in the kitchen, and here he is buying cookware like he’s actually capable of boiling a pot of water without burning the contents.</p><p>Steve has to do <em>something</em>. He may not particularly like Stark, but he is a teammate, and as the saying goes: No man left behind. “Okay… so, I was thinking… would you maybe like to get out of the Tower sometime. Maybe get some cheeseburgers or something. With me?”</p><p>“Why Cap, I can’t say I’m not flattered, but–”</p><p>“There will be endless fries and maybe a milkshake.”</p><p>“To share?” and is that a genuine inflection in Stark’s voice?</p><p>So Steve persists. “You really don’t want to share a milkshake with me. I’ll drink you under the table.”</p><p>The man sits up, grunting as he stretches his stiff muscles. He tilts his head to the side, a small spark in his eye. “That a challenge?” Now there’s the old Stark charm Steve knows and finds endlessly annoying.</p><p>“If it will get you out of the house.”</p><p>“You’re on.”</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Stark cleans up nice. Once he showers and puts on real pants, he looks almost human, like someone Steve would like to have a beer with sometime…</p><p>And then he has to go and ruin it by opening his mouth. “Plaid and khakis. Really?”</p><p>Big words from someone who had worn the same sweatpants and band tee for the past week. Steve crosses his arms. “What’s wrong with my clothes?”</p><p>“You look like an undercover cop who is really, <em>really</em> bad at his job.”</p><p>“I don’t think it’s the clothes,” Clint calls out from the couch where he and Nat had settled in to watch something that is certainly not the Home Shopping Network.</p><p>“No, but they’re not doing him any favors,” Stark replies.</p><p>“I’m not changing.”</p><p>“You never do, Cap.” He presses the elevator button down. “Now, about that burger…”</p><p>They end up at a diner – one of the few places nearby where the price of a cup of drip coffee didn’t make Steve’s eyes water – and Steve orders a couple cheeseburgers, two baskets of fries, and a vanilla milkshake with a slice of cherry pie for dessert.</p><p>“And whatever he’s getting,” he tells the waitress, tipping his chin at Stark over the top of his laminated menu.</p><p>Stark lowers his menu and raises a brow. “All that just for you?”</p><p>“I hear it’s rude to order for another person these days. Comes off as presumptuous.” Steve pretends to take interest in their various beverage options. “Same as pointing out another’s appetite,” he comments off-handedly.</p><p>“Touché.” Stark snaps the menu back up. “Cheeseburger and fries… and a chocolate shake.”</p><p>They hand their menus back to the waitress as she takes her leave.</p><p>“You didn’t want to share my shake?” Not that Steve wanted to share, but–</p><p>“Wouldn’t want to be presumptuous.”</p><p>Overall, Stark isn’t a bad conversationalist, Steve decides. Whereas Steve is awkward in most social settings, Stark fills in the silence, talking at length about a variety of topics and asking Steve questions about his life, how he’s adjusting, and whether he had discovered all the Captain America fan clubs on the internet yet. He’s mostly big among WWII buffs, but with his recent debut on the world stage, more than one forum had cropped up dedicated to salivating over zoomed-in pictures of his ass in spandex.</p><p>“Personally, I think it looks better in jeans, but what can you expect from a bunch of bureaucrats?” Stark steals a fry from Steve’s plate, despite having half his own left. “No sense of style.”</p><p>“You don’t have to look.”</p><p>“How could I not? It’s right there.” He looks off to the side, staring off into the middle-distance. “Rude. That’s rude, isn’t it? Checking out a teammate’s ass.”</p><p>Steve shrugs. “Yours isn’t half bad.”</p><p>“Want to take a closer look?”</p><p>Steve can’t tell if Stark is joking. “I’m your team leader. That would be sexual harassment,” he replies flatly.</p><p>“And I’m your landlord.” Stark takes a sip of his milkshake, the sound loud when he slurps the dregs. “You really need to loosen up, Cap.”</p><p>At the end of their meal, the waitress brings out Steve’s cherry pie. Stark had declined dessert, insisting he was much too full to polish off his own slice.</p><p>“Would you like a bite?” Steve asks before insisting, “It’s not presumptuous if I’m offering.”</p><p>Stark’s grin reaches his eyes, his first genuine smile in weeks. He leans across the table, brandishing his fork. “If you insist…”</p><p>It becomes a regular thing. They hang out with the other Avengers, but when Clint isn’t around, Bruce is busy in the labs, and Nat is off doing her own thing (likely something sneaky and spy-related), sometimes it’s just Steve and Tony watching TV, working out, or hanging out. Steve doesn’t know very many people, and Tony appears to be just as lonely, considering his only friends are the core Avengers and Colonel James Rhodes (who travels often) in addition to his chauffeur Happy. It’s also painfully obvious Tony misses Pepper, but he improves with time. Tony tells him he hopes they can be friends some day, but for now, distance is the best course of action for all parties involved. Steve doesn’t quite understand, having never been in a significant romantic relationship, but he understands loss and knows time can take the edge off, heal the raw edges of emotional wounds, even if it leaves a scar in its wake. Sometimes, late at night when Tony has fallen asleep on the couch, leaning heavily against Steve’s shoulder, Steve thinks of Bucky, and his heart aches for lost companionship found anew. Sometimes, he thinks of Peggy, of that bone-deep want that makes him want to tangle fingers in those dark locks.</p><p>And sometimes, he thinks of Tony, just Tony, and how his eyes light up and he talks too fast when excited, his smile, his laugh. How sometimes, Steve wants to hold him close and find out if his facial hair is as scratchy as it looks. How would Tony react if he–</p><p>Tony stirs, yawns, and sits up to stretch. “Sorry Cap, how long have I been out?”</p><p>Steve’s mouth is dry. “Not long… Waffles?” he offers.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>“You’ve ever been to Butter &amp; Scotch?” Tony asks him one day.</p><p>“Hm?”</p><p>“It’s this tiny bar in Brooklyn. Serves pie. I haven’t been since…” – a pause that Steve recognizes as <em>Pepper</em> – “Well, not for a while. They have this s’mores pie that’s pretty good.”</p><p>“Alright.”</p><p>It is not alright.</p><p>They sit at a table in the farthest back corner, lit up by a tea candle on the table that illuminates Tony’s face from below, the entire bar awash in a red glow from the overhead light. The pie is excellent, but Tony seems restless, fidgety, and he hasn’t so much as looked up at Steve for at least five minutes.  He is on his second coffee stout despite taking exactly one bite of pie.</p><p>“We don’t have to stay,” Steve tells him, drawing his attention. “We can go somewhere else… or back home if you want to call it a night.”</p><p>“No, it’s– it’s fine,” he stumbles. “I just… I’m going to step out for a spell.” And just like that, he’s off his stool and making a beeline for the front door.</p><p>Steve drops two twenties on the table – not even caring that the prices here are practically highway robbery – and follows after him into the night.</p><p>“Tony– Tony, are you okay?”</p><p>“I thought I could do it, Cap,” he blathers on, massaging his left forearm in almost an unconscious nervous tic. “I thought– it’s been so long, but…”</p><p>“You and Pepper came here. I figured as much.”</p><p>Tony shakes his head. “We went camping.”</p><p>“You… camp?” Steve can’t help but sound skeptical.</p><p>“Yeah, yeah I know. The Tony Stark, technological wizard, the DaVinci of our time, roughing it in a place with no Wifi,” Tony chuckles humorlessly. “But I was trying to clear my head after… after everything, you know? The Tower was being rebuilt, and I wasn’t really sleeping, and things weren’t going great with us anyway. I was just trying to get away from it all. Reconnect, just the two of us in this remote cabin upstate. It was nice. Private. Kind of serene on this little lake.”</p><p>“Sounds peaceful.”</p><p>“You’d think, but… out there, it was just me in my head all the time. And Pepper on the outside. And– and it wasn’t working. We were fighting, just driving each other crazy over the smallest things. And the larger ones as well. It all came to a head this one night, we’re making s’mores over the fire, and… and she was so beautiful in the firelight. And that’s when she told me she was going back to the City in the morning. Alone. She had already arranged for separate apartments for us until construction was done and I could move back into the Tower. Also alone.”</p><p>Steve doesn’t know what to say about that beside, “I’m sorry, Tony. That must have been awful.”</p><p>“At least I had J… and the Avengers. Pep was worried I’d be alone, but it’s been– it’s been good, really. Having you all around. I thought you especially were a giant prick when we met, but even you didn’t turn out to be that bad.”</p><p>“Thanks,” Steve states flatly. “Feeling’s mutual.”</p><p>“You know what I mean. Thanks for– for keeping me company, even if it’s only because you drew the short straw.”</p><p>“We didn’t draw straws.”</p><p>“Then Nat manipulated you into it,” Tony hazards a guess.</p><p>“It was mostly Clint,” Steve concedes, but when Tony’s face falls at the admission, he adds, “at first. But I really enjoy spending time with you. You know I don’t have many friends nowadays, and– well, I think you’re a real swell guy. I’d like to continue seeing you.”</p><p>“You sound like you’re about to ask me to go steady. Do I get a promise ring?”</p><p>Steve blushes.</p><p>“I’m kidding, Cap. You fluster so easily. It’s endearing.” Tony shivers, pulling collar of his thin jacket up around his ears.</p><p>Steve is already halfway through removing his leather jacket. “Are you cold? You want–”</p><p>“Won’t you get cold?” Tony interjects, but he makes no move to step away.</p><p>“Not really. I run hot.”</p><p>“I’ll say.”</p><p>“High metabolism,” Steve clarifies, draping the jacket around Tony’s shoulders. “Better?”</p><p>Tony pats the soft leather then threads his arms through the sleeves. “Yeah… you’re a good friend, Steve. A real gentleman.”</p><p>“I strive to be.”</p><p>“How about a ‘just friends’ hug? I promise to keep my hands above the waist.” Tony’s arms are already lifting, moving into pre-hug, and it will be real awkward if Steve doesn’t return the gesture. “Come on, bring it in, Cap.”</p><p>Tony really looks like he could really do with a win, so Steve obliges, and if he holds on a touch longer than strictly necessary, neither Steve nor Tony says anything about it.</p><p>And unfortunately for both, neither of them notices the subtle click of a camera shutter either.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>The pictures hit the tabloids two days later. Splashed across Page Six and the National Enquirer, the Sun and the Daily Mirror among others are Steve and Tony in loving embrace. Steve’s hands on Tony’s lower back, Tony’s chin resting on Steve’s shoulder, as well as the moment they finally broke apart, and walked away closely, side by side. You couldn’t see it exactly, but from a certain angle, they may have even been holding hands.</p><p>‘Stark Steps Out with New Boy Toy’ one declares.</p><p>‘Mid-Life Crisis Hits Aging Tech Billionaire’ claims another, a smaller inset headline further proclaiming, ‘Jilted Ex Furious, Says Source’ combined with a stock photo of an annoyed Pepper Potts.</p><p>And yet a third that read, ‘Stark Sugarbaby is High-Class Escort; Former Gay Lover to the Stars’ featuring a badly photoshopped image of Steve’s face on a stripper’s body. It’s unbelievable, absolutely ridiculous…</p><p>Steve’s real ass is a veritable national treasure, much more perky and well-defined than what they had given him.</p><p>“Mr. Hogan has prevented four reporters from gaining access to the Tower,” J. reports.</p><p>Tony sighs, rubbing his temples, trying to keep the looming headache at bay. “Initiate a soft lockdown, J. Deploy facial recognition and identity verification at all entrances. No press.”</p><p>“Of course, sir.”</p><p>When he steps onto the Avengers floor, Clint is already at the table alongside Natasha and Bruce. He holds up the World News Daily Report, ‘Stark Pregnant by Alien Cyborg Lover’ emblazoned across the top.</p><p>“Something you want to tell us, lover boy?”</p><p>Tony is not amused. “Really, Clint? You’re seeing me right now. Male and clearly not pregnant.”</p><p>Clint stares pointedly at his midsection. “I’d say congratulations are in order.”</p><p>
  <em>Is that a fat joke?</em>
</p><p>“Screw you too, buddy.”</p><p>“Hey, I don’t know what Rebirth did to Steve,” Clint protests. “Maybe he has super sperm.”</p><p>Nat grabs the paper, turning it face down. “I’m pretty sure Stark would need to have something to be fertilized in order for that to be possible.”</p><p>“We don’t know what kind of equipment he has.”</p><p>“Really? Because we’ve all seen him with his pants off,” Banner points out.</p><p>So, his friends have all seen the tapes. Lovely.</p><p>“Okay whatever. Stop talking about my dick and supposed relationship with Steve, and listen up. The Tower is on lockdown until the next celebrity baby news or botched nose job, which should be sometime in the next three days. That means for the time being, no one in or out. That includes you, Legolas.”</p><p>“What? But I don’t even live here!”</p><p>“Well, you do now. For a few days at least. I’ll have a guest room prepared.”</p><p>“But I have a date!”</p><p>Tony has no time for Clint’s jokes. “Funny. Next you’ll be telling me you have a wife and children,” he deadpans. “This is serious. Do you want to get trampled out there? Because stepping foot outside this Tower right now will guarantee front row seats to a re-enactment of Walmart during Black Friday.” He turns back to Clint, looking him directly in the eye. “You’re just going to have to hang tight for a few days. Call your mother or whoever you’re always calling before missions – don’t think any of us haven’t noticed–”</p><p>“Who died and made you team leader?”</p><p>“Who else has experience dealing with the press, specifically tabloids?” Tony counters, continuing when Clint doesn’t respond: “That’s what I thought.” He turns to the others. “Bruce, you know the drill. Just hang tight, and don’t let the big guy out. Nat, call Fury and brief him on the situation. Tell him that you and Steve–” Tony stops and looks around but can’t spot hide nor hair of his star-spangled friend. “Where’s Cap?”</p><p>“He went on a run this morning. He’s not back yet,” Nat tells him.</p><p>The look on Tony’s face is one of dawning horror.</p><p>“He’ll be back soon,” Clint says, still underestimating the severity of the situation at hand. “I mean, it’s a bunch of shutterbugs, not an alien army spilling out of a hole in the sky. How bad can it possibly be?”</p><p>Tony pauses to consider it, mentally weighing the relative threat of each option. “Oh my God, we have to warn him.” He pulls out his phone. “You don’t understand. They are sharks, and they can smell a scoop like blood in the water. They will stop at nothing until they have their prize.”</p><p>He tries to call, but when the man fails to pick up, Tony is transferred to voicemail. “Steve, come home. Now. It’s an emergency. Your anonymity has been compromised, and it’s only a matter of time before” – Tony breathes out slowly as he collects his wits – “We’ll rendezvous back at the Tower. Just… be safe, Steve.”</p><p>He hangs up, stepping away from the others to call and warn the third party in this unfortunate debacle. Pepper picks up his video call on the second ring.</p><p>“Hey,” Tony says before she can so much as greet him. He looks away, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. “So… listen. You may see some things in the paper today–”</p><p>“About you cozying up to Steve on the streets of Brooklyn?” she interjects, her tone neutral, business-like and without a hint of judgment. “Yeah, my assistant is on it.”</p><p>Tony rubs the line of his eyes. “I’m sorry, Pep.”</p><p>“Don’t be. You’re allowed a personal life,” she tells him, “And besides, it’s not like you’re actually banging Captain America.”</p><p>Tony becomes huffy at that, his face pinched in annoyance. “Oh, so you’re saying Steve is too good for me?”</p><p>There’s a long-suffering sigh on the other end. “That’s not what I meant, Tony. It’s just… you two don’t exactly get along.”</p><p>“It could be sexual tension.”</p><p>“And he’s straight,” Pepper points out.</p><p>“Is he now?”</p><p>That gets her attention. “…Wait.” Her head tilts. “Tony… are you actually sleeping with Captain America?”</p><p>But the man is on a roll. “Like you said, the notion is absurd, absolutely preposterous, laughable even.”</p><p>“Tony–”</p><p>“I’ve got to go. I just wanted to give you a heads up. Don’t go outside today. The sharks are circling. You can hear the Jaws theme in the background if you listen carefully,” he says, already regretting this phone call. This isn’t Pepper’s first rodeo; of course she already knows how to handle herself.</p><p>“It would be okay if you were sleeping with Steve.”</p><p>“Allegedly–”</p><p>But Pepper persists, ignoring the interruption. “We broke up. I don’t expect you to wait, and Steve? He’s a good guy.”</p><p>“Okay. Too weird. I’ve got to warn Steve of impending doom and all that. Stay safe, Pep. Stay indoors. See you on the other side.”</p><p>After Tony hangs up, he immediately attempts to call Steve again. He runs fingers through his hair, tugging at the ends. “God Damn it, Steve. Pick up, you asshole,” he mutters harshly under his breath when the phone continues to ring. “I swear I’m gonna–”</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>It’s a gorgeous morning, and Steve’s run through Central Park is uneventful, almost serene. Back in his day, Central Park had been the home of one of the largest Hoovervilles in New York City, a shanty town built of tin and desperation, where unemployed men, some with families, tried to eke out a living with what little they had. The homeless are still here, milling about from time to time, and Steve often gave them a couple bucks when he had it. It’s an odd sort of thing; so much wealth and advancement in the city, and yet poverty continues unabated.</p><p>Up ahead, there is an older woman in a cardigan and new white running shoes staring up into a tree.</p><p>“Mittens! Come down!” she begs an unknown entity hidden in the lush greenery. She tips up on her toes, leaning against the trunk. “Come down, sweetie!”</p><p>Steve slows to a stop. “Do you need any assistance, ma’am?”</p><p>“It’s my cat, Mittens. He didn’t come home last night, and now he’s stuck in the tree and won’t come down! I don’t know what to do, and– and I’m going to be late for work, but I can’t coax him down!” she explains, anxiety clear in her tone.</p><p>“I’ll get him down,” Steve offers. He can’t see any cat, but perhaps the poor thing had climbed up so high as to be obscured by leaves.</p><p>“Oh, thank you, young man. I simply don’t know what I would have done had you not stopped.” She steps away from the base of the tree, allowing Steve to pull himself up into the branches, climbing ever higher. The phone in his back pocket buzzes, but he ignores it. He can call back whoever it is later, when he isn’t currently scaling a large tree.</p><p>“Mittens?” he calls out softly, trying to listen for the telltale meow to gauge how much farther he will have to climb. “Here, kitty kitty.”</p><p>He doesn’t hear a cat above, but he does hear a commotion below where a small group of people armed with cameras, including the woman he had offered to help, are gathering, their lenses pointed up at Steve himself and snapping away.</p><p>
  <em>A trap!</em>
</p><p>Steve doesn’t understand what’s going on, but he’d rather not stick around to find out, so he scrambles down to a sturdier branch, then quickly bounds across the thick length, swinging down to drop outside the circle of photographers. He doesn’t even break stride as he takes off running, quickly outstripping his pursuers.</p><p>He thinks he’s in the clear when he breaks through the trees onto the main path, but–</p><p>“There he is!” A man carrying a news camera shouts as a small army of newscasters rush towards him bandying microphones and screaming questions.</p><p>“Was Stark’s relationship to CEO Pepper Potts a sham?! A business deal?!”</p><p>“How much is he paying you to keep your silence?!”</p><p>Steve turns heel, taking off in another direction. The phone in his pocket buzzes yet again, and Steve fumbles to answer it, only slowing momentarily to extract it from his pocket. He picks up speed as he answers.</p><p>“–implant a tracker at the base of your skull.”</p><p>“Tony?” Steve asks, barely out of breath despite his brisk pace.</p><p>“Steve! Return to the tower stat; you’ve been made!”</p><p>“By who? The Russians? The Mandarin?” He ducks low behind a fountain, his voice dropping. “Martians?”</p><p>“Worse. Paparazzi. They have pictures, Cap.”</p><p>“What,” he says, his voice flat. He nearly collapses to the ground. Tony can’t possibly mean–</p><p>“Outside Butter &amp; Scotch two nights back.”</p><p>Steve rolls his eyes. “Oh, for crying out loud. That’s what this is about? Can’t a man hug another man without the press corps getting involved? I thought this time period was more progressive–”</p><p>“Not when it comes to the Stark name,” and now Tony just sounds miserable. “Just… come home. I’ll meet you back here.”</p><p>“Tony–”</p><p>“Good luck, Steve.”</p><p>The line goes dead. Steve wants to call him back, to soothe the quiver in Tony’s voice, but he can do that later. In person. Now, he just has to concentrate on surviving the journey home before–</p><p>“How long have you been dating Tony Stark?”</p><p>Steve startles, rolling over this shoulder onto his feet and taking off in a run, only then looking behind himself to spot the bewildered reporter left in his wake, the microphone still outstretched.</p><p>He manages to reach the edge of Central Park, spilling out onto the surrounding sidewalk, sliding to a stop when he sees more reporters coming for him from the corner. He runs down a block in the opposite direction just as the walk sign flips on. He barrels down the crosswalk to the opposite corner, and nearly flies down the sidewalk, noting the oncoming one-way traffic. There’s no way that they can follow him from behind by car. However, just as he thinks that, a white van pulls to a stop at a red light at the cross-street as yet another camera crew spills out the side.</p><p>“Tell us about your relationship to Mr. Stark! How does he like his eggs?!”</p><p>Steve veers off to the side, taking a flying leap onto a secure mailbox then bounding off to jump onto the roof of their van, clearing it in seconds to hit the other side as he continues forward, weaving through stopped traffic.</p><p>Another group, paparazzi this time, runs towards him from the other direction, their cameras clicking. Steve ducks into a side alley, climbing and clearing a chain link fence at the terminus to continue onward, mapping a new route to Avengers Tower in his mind. He will have to be smart if he is to avoid the hounds chomping at his heels.</p><p>And so he outruns them when he can, hides when he can’t, doubles back and charts a zig-zag pattern through little known streets and restaurants, apologizing to service workers as he slips out the back into a free alley, until he eventually winds his way back to the Tower.</p><p>There’s already a crowd outside and no way to enter unscathed. They spot him as he turns the corner, and it is too late to back away, to hide. Steve says a silent prayer as they charge him, and wonders if the serum will prevent death by trampling.</p><p>Just then, he sees a glint, a red-and-gold streak flying overhead, outstripping the paparazzi and newscasters, breaking into pieces along the way before zipping around to encase Steve, launching him into the air towards the top floor of the Tower.</p><p>“Welcome, Captain Rogers,” J.A.R.V.I.S.’s voice filters through. “Sir will receive you on the Avengers’ floor, balcony entrance.”</p><p>“Thanks for the assist,” Steve tells him, even as his mind races, still caught in the fight-or-flight of before. Steve is not used to rising so much as falling great distances, and the unexpected vertigo leaves his stomach on the ground. Is this what Tony feels like every time they assemble?</p><p>He touches down on the balcony, the suit peeling back sequentially, releasing Steve from the steel carapace to practically fall at Tony’s feet.</p><p>Clint is there to help steady him as he reorients himself on solid ground. “They’re reporting you’re Stark’s live-in bang maid,” he says, inappropriately chipper considering the situation. “The footage of you being snapped up by the Iron Man suit is already going viral.”</p><p>“It’s only been thirty seconds,” Steve points out.</p><p>“News travels fast these days,” Tony says, falling into step beside him. “Let’s get you inside before they send their news choppers to spy on us out here.”</p><p>Nat turns off the television replaying Steve’s miraculous escape just as they re-enter the main floor.</p><p>“No, turn it back on. Cap should see this,” Clint tells her. “They actually think you two are banging. It’s fucking hilarious really. If only they knew how poorly you guys get along in real life.”</p><p>“Tea?” Banner holds out a cup to Steve.</p><p>He accepts the offering, nearly scalding his mouth when he attempts to down it.</p><p>“It’s hot,” Bruce points out rather unhelpfully after the fact.</p><p>“Steve, if you two need a moment…” Nat says, coming around the couch to latch onto Clint and Bruce. “We’ll be in the labs. Bruce is working on a new cloaking solution that refracts light.”</p><p>“Come on, Nat. This is the funniest thing to happen in a while. Stark and Cap? Can you think of a more implausible–”</p><p>“Invisibility, Clint,” she interjects. “Can you imagine what we could do with that?”</p><p>Nat manages to corral them to the elevators, leaving Steve and Tony behind. Alone.</p><p>“Are you okay?” Tony finally asks.</p><p>Steve leans against the back of the couch, almost in a half-sit. “Yeah, just… maybe a little shell-shocked. I didn’t really expect all those people attempting to run me down when I left this morning.”</p><p>Tony hums. “Just so you know, we’re going to have to bunker down here for a while. Until the media circus dies down.” He passes Steve the National Enquirer prominently displaying a picture from two nights prior splashed across the front with the headline ‘Stark’s Gay Life Exposed’ in large print. It’s just the two of them embracing, nothing particularly scandalous had one of them not been The Tony Stark.</p><p>“Terrible that they’d out someone like that,” Steve says. “Just seems wrong. In my day, something like that prints, and it could destroy a man’s entire life, his family and career and everything.”</p><p>“That’s just life in the public eye. My life…” Tony shrugs, just letting the thought hang.</p><p>“Doesn’t make it right.”</p><p>“No, I suppose not. But it’s how it is for someone like me, and by extension, anyone associated with me.”</p><p>There’s a beat of silence as both look down at the photo. Steve opens the magazine, flipping through to the main story where more pictures of the two of them standing close and walking side-by-side down the street are printed, bolstered by written filler, most of it lies and fake ‘sources’ alleging their relationship stretched back years to when Steve was a gifted (but barely legal intern) at Stark Industries, how Tony’s relationship with Pepper was a charade to hide his gay lover, and how she had been promoted to CEO as part of their deal.</p><p>It is an insult to the integrity and capability of all three of them: Tony, Steve, <em>and</em> Pepper.</p><p>“All this over a few photos, huh?” Steve says, tone carefully neutral.</p><p>“They do love to make mountains out of mole hills.”</p><p>Another pause, another beat, then: “So, are we pretending that what happened after the photo snap didn’t happen, or…”</p><p>“Depends. Do you want it to have happened?”</p><p>Steve closes the paper, throwing it behind himself onto the couch. He doesn’t even hesitate. “Yeah, I think that would be nice.”</p><p>Tony takes a step forward into his personal space. Steve’s legs are on either side of his hips. “You know if we go public, what happened today is going to keep happening.”</p><p>Steve wraps his arms around Tony’s shoulders, closes the space to kiss him below his left ear, his voice a breathy whisper. “I’m pretty fast. I can handle it.”</p>
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